GENEOLOGY

I have been working with my second cousin, on gathering information for a family genealogy. She has contacted a historian in NY and also has received a collection of pictures, letters and memorabilia that her grandfather had saved. I did a short genealogy of the Smith's (my maiden name), my Sr. year of high school and fortunately saved it all. I have been plucking my Mom and Dad's brain to fill in the missing pieces. We have recently lost two more of our older generation, so it's important to get all the stories on paper, before it is all gone.

This couldn't come at a better time, as I am preparing and gathering for a Heritage Album. I want to fill its pages with pictures, family trees, stories and tid bits of history. This has to be different from my normal act of embellishment and pictures. It needs to be a continuing journal of past, present and future history. I need to concentrate on my Mom's side, as there is very little of the older generation left.

BACK FIRING EMAILS

It's been a while since I posted. With John gone on business so much, the holidays and my trip to NY, I haven't been able to get back into the swing of things. I tend to work better with routine and consistency. Now, I haven't always been this way, just the last two years or so. Maybe it's age! Ha-ha-ha-ha......

OK, getting ready for National Scrapbook Weekend. I sent Traci, owner of Scrapbooks & Etc., an email to remind her of the upcoming festivities. She kindly emailed me back and said, "Remind me to discuss this at Friday night's crop." So I did. :) Well, Friday night came and I did as she asked. Have you ever heard the expression, "Open mouth and insert foot?" :P Let me give you a little background. One day, some of the girls and I were sitting with Traci, doing a little brainstorming for the store. It really is a lot of work for one person to run the store, inventory, place orders, restock, clean, hold classes, etc. You get the idea. Everyone helps where they can. So I (innocently) said, "You need to designate!" You can now see where this is going!..... Traci took my 'idea' and designated me to put together Nat. SB weekend. To Traci; good job! For me? Keep my mouth shut!!! (laughing) Really, I accept the challenge fully, as I enjoy hosting and have a great love for this art and my friends!




For information on Festivities for that weekend, please visit;
http://scrapbooksandetc.blogspot.com

WHERE I'VE BEEN

Hey Friends, Yes, it has been a while since I've last posted. My trip to NY to see my family went well, but as usual, it's nice to come home. I have been cleaning up my craft room, doing a little re-organizing, purging some old stuff I no longer use and making room for all the new goodies I see coming out! It makes me Happy! I just bought some of Tim Holtz's new distressed inks! Ooooo..... is all I can say! My current project is in full swing and I'm almost finished. I am on my last layout of my wedding album that I have been working on for over a year. Oh, by the way, I have been married for 27 years, but better late than never! Until next time...

A LITTLE TOUCH OF HEAVEN

This layout is very special to me. My very first Grandbaby and the memories of that day came flying back! He'll be two at the end of this month. Where does the time go? He stayed last night with Papa and Me...... he is a smart little boy. We put a board in the bedroom doorway, so our puppy will stay out. Well, Grayson decided he didn't want Cody (puppy) in Papa's office, so he attempted to put a piece of cardboard in the doorway, except it wasn't fitting right. He backed up, turned the cardboard, place it in the doorway and turned it back so it would fit. Logical thinking, two year olds don't have that. He watches the discovery and the military channels with Daddy. Very curious about everything. Maybe we have a future president! Hahaha......
Back to the layout. I wanted to add birthdate, weight, etc., but didn't want to clutter too much more with journaling. I decided to make a tag with all the info and hide it behind Daddy's picture. I raised the matte under the picture with strips of double-sided adhesive on three sides, leaving the top side open. This allowed enough room for the tag to slide nicely. I added a ribbon to the top of the tag to catch your attention and make it easier to grasp the tag.
Thanks for taking a look. I hope you enjoy this as much as I am.

"GLUED AND FLOCKED"

Sunshine, on my shoulders - makes me happy....
Sunshine, in my eyes - can make me cry....
Sunshine, on the water - looks so lovely....
Sunshine, almost always - makes me high!!! (John Denver)

OK. Back on track. here is the layout I was working on yesterday, finished and ready to put in the album. Although, I am thinking I might put up a curtain rod on the wall and add clips to display these for a time. Hmmm... think that's a good idea. (make note; buy curtain rod and clips) All the pieces were cut out using my Silhouette. Giraffe's spots made with Elmer's glue (Thank you Donna Downey's resist technique) and Rhino was painted with distressed stickles and then painted over with crackle paint. This gave a nice texture for the skin and the look of the rhino after rolling in the dirt, as they often do. The leaves of the vine were glued and flocked. (kind of sounds dangerous; like tarred and feathered!) Lots of distress inks and various Hero Arts stamps. The photo of my Grandson, in the lower right corner, was altered to Sepia, cut out, distressed with a sanding block and lightly painted over with diluted paint. This was a fun layout for me. Lots of various mediums and some new techniques!